Multidisciplinary Response and the Community

The purpose of this section is to explain the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to sexual assault care that engages key stakeholders from across your community. Whereas nurses embedded in the medical system treat sexual assault patients, these patients may seek services from the criminal justice system as crime victims or from advocacy organizations as survivors. The needs of sexual assault patients/victims/clients/survivors are multifaceted; therefore, a comprehensive response requires the involvement of multiple disciplines. In this chapter, we discuss—

The purpose of implementing a multidisciplinary response to sexual assault in your community and the diverse activities of multidisciplinary teams. (See section 8.1 Multidisciplinary Team Models)
The wide range of community partners you may choose to involve in a multidisciplinary response and the benefits of their involvement for SANE program development, implementation, and ongoing operation. (See section 8.2 Collaboration With Community Partners)
The value of ongoing multidisciplinary team quality assurance. (See section 8.3 Assuring Quality of the MDT)
The need for ongoing training and education for all multidisciplinary team members. (See section 8.4 Community and Partner Education).

In a multidisciplinary response, different disciplines use different words to refer to the same individual—patient, victim, client, survivor. The varied terminology exhibits the varied services provided by each discipline and its essential role in helping to provide a comprehensive response to sexual assault.

SART Toolkit

8.1. Multidisciplinary Team Models
8.2. Collaboration With Community Partners
8.3. Assuring Quality of the MDT
8.4. Community and Partner Education